Research and Career Development Awards

In a time when both public and private research grants have markedly decreased for early career researchers, the ACCF’s award program continues to support these young investigators. The 2018 ACC/ACCF awards program will present awards to support the training and development of young cardiovascular investigators in the categories listed below.

The Committee annually invites applications for the awards below on a broad range of research topics from cardiovascular professionals currently enrolled in accredited training programs to those in their early career years. Please note that, as necessary, ad hoc reviewers will be appointed in those instances requiring expertise beyond the realm of the committee.

Description: The Young Investigator Awards competition encourages and recognizes young scientific investigators of promise, upon whom progress in the field of cardiology is dependent. Submit a manuscript and abstract summarizing any problem that relates to cardiovascular disease whether it be in etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, or therapy.

Eligibility: Physicians, scientists, medical students, and other healthcare providers currently in residency or fellowship programs, or are no more than three years out of training. PhD, PharmD or DNP candidates who are no more than three years out of training may also apply.

Note: Candidates will be eligible for this award up to four years after completion of training if more than three months of family or sick leave was taken during training or in the first three years after completion of training.

The Award: The first place winner for each category receives $2,000, second place winners receive $1,000; four honorable mentions in each category receive $500. Travel, hotel and meals up to $1,500 will be reimbursed for all 18 finalists to attend the YIA Competitions at ACC.19 in New Orleans, LA.

The application deadline for this award has passed. Please bookmark this page and check back soon for information on the 2019 award.

Description: The purpose of the award is to recognize and provide financial support for research efforts by outstanding young cardiovascular scholars. This award is to encourage junior faculty in the early phases of their careers in the field of cardiology. The award will provide one junior faculty member with a year of research support. Preference will be given to applications focusing on hypertension and/or peripheral vascular disease.

Eligibility: Applicants eligible for the award are those who:

Will hold rank of instructor or assistant professor at the time of the initiation of the award and have completed adult, pediatric, or surgical cardiology fellowship training in a program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association;

Are members or are eligible to become a member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC);

Are no more than five years out of training;

Have the recommendation and agreement of their division chiefs and their chiefs' assurance that the awards' support will provide protected time for the applicants to pursue their research programs; and

Have an agreement with their institutions that the full amount of the award will be designated for salary support.

The Award: The award will offer $70,000 salary support for one year of research to begin July 1, 2019 and run through June 30, 2020.

Funding Source: The ACC is grateful to the William F. Keating Endowment Fund for supporting this award.

Nomination Procedure: Judging will be by the ACC's Research Fellowship Awards Committee. Criteria for selection will include:

Scientific quality of the project

Qualifications and commitment of the applicant

Support of the environment to foster the proposed project and applicant's success

The application deadline for this award has passed. Please bookmark this page and check back soon for information on the 2019 award.

Description: Two one-year fellowships will be awarded to support research in adult cardiology. Preference is given to individuals who have had no more than two years of prior full-time experience either in clinical or basic research. Recipients will be expected to pursue a full-time project in clinical research during their year of supported training.

Research Focus: In selecting applications, proposals addressing CVD and Cardiometabolic disorders are encouraged. Included are proposals that address pathophysiology, molecular genetics, metabolic abnormalities leading to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, heart failure, hyperlipidemia, inflammatory mechanisms and new pathways for drug discovery. Proposals focusing on clinically relevant outcomes as a result of the metabolic syndrome, diabetes or obesity are also encouraged. Outcomes studies should focus on clinical/and or systems of care (e.g., quality improvement) interventions, and use outcomes measures of importance to both patients and society, including mortality, significant morbidity or quality of life changes, or economic effects.

Preference for one award will be given to applicants focusing on disparities of care. Despite increased attention to health disparities at the national, state and community levels, relatively little progress has been made in achieving the vision of eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. Since the rates of cardiovascular mortality in the United States are significantly higher for these patients and this is in fact the leading cause of death in this demographic, innovative approaches to eliminating these disparities are critical. In an effort to encourage and support research in this area, proposals will be encouraged that focus on gender, race, geographic, and economic inequalities in cardiovascular care.

Eligibility: Anyone currently in an adult cardiology fellowship training program recognized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association and who has the recommendation and agreement of his/her training program director and institution.

Selection: Judging will be by the ACCF/Research Fellowship Awards Committee. Criteria for selection will include:

Scientific quality of the project;

Relevance to the research focus as described above;

Qualifications and commitment of the applicant; and

The quality of the training environment.

Successful applicants may pursue this protected year of research either within or following their three years of required training. Preference will be given to individuals who:

Will pursue clinical research training and experience directly involving patients or human subjects.

Have had no more than two years of prior full-time research experience either in clinical or basic research.

Will not hold another major external fellowship or salary award, (e.g., from the National Institutes of Health or the American Heart Association) during the ACCF/Merck funded year.

The Award: Two fellowships in the amount of $70,000 each, to be used for salary support, for one year of research to begin July 1, 2019 and run through June 30, 2020.

Funding Source: The ACCF is grateful to Merck for their continued financial support for these awards.

The application deadline for this award has passed. Please bookmark this page and check back soon for information on the 2019 award.

Description and Purpose: This award is to encourage junior faculty in the early phases of their careers in the field of cardiology and to recognize and provide financial support for research efforts made by these outstanding cardiovascular scholars. The award will provide one junior faculty member with one year of research support.

Eligibility: Applicants eligible for the award are those who:

Will hold rank of instructor or assistant professor at the time of the initiation of the award and have completed adult, pediatric or surgical cardiology fellowship training in a program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association

Are members or are eligible to become a member of the American College of Cardiology

Are no more than seven years out of training

Have the recommendation and agreement of their division chiefs and their chiefs' assurance that the award's support will provide protected time for the applicants to pursue their research programs

Have an agreement with their institutions that the full amount of the award will be designated for salary support

The Award: The award will offer three, one-year fellowships with $70,000 salary support for research to begin July 1, 2019 and run through June 30, 2020.

Nomination Procedure:
Judging will be by the ACC's Research Fellowship Awards Committee.
Criteria for selection will include:

Scientific quality of the project

Qualifications and commitment of the applicant

Support of the environment to foster the proposed project and applicant's success.

Priority will be given to applications focused on the following strategic initiatives as outlined in the ACC's strategic plan:

Population Health: Improving the Health of Populations

Data, Information and Knowledge: Use of Data, Information and Knowledge to Generate Science and Improve Clinical Practice

Transformation of Care: Supporting the Appropriate Use of New Transformational Technologies and Therapies

The application deadline for this award has passed. Please bookmark this page and check back soon for information on the 2019 award.